139. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State, Washington, October 12, 19591
SUBJECT
- Meeting with Prince Naim Concerning Afghanistan’s Economic Development Problems
PARTICIPANTS
- His Royal Highness Sardar Mohammed Naim, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Afghanistan
- Ambassador Maiwandwal of Afghanistan
- Ambassador Pazhwak, Afghan Ambassador to the United Nations
- Abdul Hai Aziz, Acting Minister of Planning, Royal Government of Afghanistan
- M/MSC—Mr. John O. Bell
- U/CEA—Mr. Robert P. Terrill
- SOA—Mr. Frederic P. Bartlett
- SOA—Mr. Leon B. Poullada
- SOA—Mr. Dudley C. Bostwick
- ICA—Mr. Leonard J. Saccio
- ICA—Mr. Leland Barrows
- ICA—Mr. Stellan C. Wollmar, Director USOM/Afghanistan
- DLF—Mr. Vance Brand
Prince Naim stated that he was sorry Mr. Dillon was out of the city and could not attend the meeting. He further stated that since he had already talked with Secretary Herter on political matters2 he intended to confine his discussions at the meeting to economic projects.
The Deputy Prime Minister said he believed that economic progress was essential in order to build a modern social foundation for Afghanistan. While Afghanistan has prepared development plans he felt that its plans were inadequate to meet its needs, and to create conditions of security more comprehensive plans were needed. Specifically, Afghanistan required accelerated development in the fields of (1) agriculture, (2) communications and roads, and (3) education.
As regards agriculture, Prince Naim stated that the completion of the Helmand Valley project was of great importance since the uncompleted portions adversely affected the whole project and prevented the attaining of the project’s hoped-for results. (He did not mention specifically the lower Helmand at this juncture.) In addition, the Deputy Prime Minister stated that the fertility of the soil was steadily deteriorating and the need for fertilizer was becoming urgent.
In the area of communications Prince Naim expressed the opinion that the completion of the Kandahar-Kabul road, which is now under study, was of foremost importance. His government was also considering the desirability of a road from Herat to the Iranian border near Meshed and a road from Farah to the Iranian border near Zahidan.
As regards education, the Government of Afghanistan would like to strengthen the established technical schools, particularly the AIT, and also organize a Faculty of Engineering for producing needed technical personnel.
At the conclusion of the Prime Minister’s résumé, Mr. Bell said that the Deputy Prime Minister was speaking before a sympathetic audience, an audience interested in Afghanistan’s development progress and problems. He noted that the United States had been cooperating to date in aiding Afghanistan in the three fields mentioned by [Page 296] Prince Naim—namely, agriculture, communications and education—and that the United States hoped to continue to cooperate in these fields in the future.
In response to a question from Mr. Brand as to Afghanistan’s development plans in the industrial sector, Prince Naim said that these plans fell into two separate categories: first, the completion of projects already under way, specifically mentioning the Gulbahar Textile Mill, the production of which was urgently needed in order to meet Afghanistan’s textile requirements and save foreign exchange, and, second, projects not yet under way. Among projects planned for the future he mentioned the desirability of the creation of certain small-scale industries to parallel agricultural development and the need for hydroelectric power distribution in Kabul. Mr. Aziz then mentioned that applications had been filed with the DLF which included Gulbahar and Kabul electric power distribution. It was planned, Mr. Aziz said, to submit an application in due course for the Industrial Development Bank.
Prince Naim then said that the Government of Afghanistan lacked experienced personnel in the field of planning, and specifically requested assistance from the United States, stating that “we would like an expert from the United States to work as an adviser in the Ministry of Planning.” Further conversation developed that Prince Naim desired the expert to be an agricultural economist. Mr. Bell stated that there was difficulty in obtaining this type of skill but the United States was interested in assisting in this field and the matter would be explored. Mr. Bell also expressed the opinion that the Government of Afghanistan officials should confer with Mr. Brand of the DLF regarding the Afghanistan applications. (Mr. Brand left the meeting just prior to this point.) Prince Naim said that he would like very much to discuss this matter with the DLF and would stay longer in Washington if necessary in order to do so.
Prince Naim indicated that he would like a judgment regarding the general tenor of Afghanistan’s economic planning. Mr. Bell stated that it would appear that the Government in its emphasis on agricultural production, roads and communications, and education was striking at basic problems and was being intelligent and logical in concentrating on these three basic fields—fields in which United States cooperation was also centered. Prince Naim then stated that his Government placed the highest priority on obtaining the services of an agricultural economist.
As regards fertilizers, the Deputy Prime Minister stated that the utilization of chemical fertilizer could increase agricultural yields 100 percent. In response to a question from Mr. Bell as to whether there had been any technical exploration of domestic fertilizer production, Mr. Aziz said “only generally.”
[Page 297]The meeting closed with Mr. Bell’s stating the United States was sympathetic to Afghanistan’s development problems and anxious to help within its capabilities.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 789.11/10–1259. Confidential. Drafted by Bostwick on October 20.↩
- There is no record in Department of State files of any meeting between Naim and Herter on October 12. They did meet on October 13; see Documents 142 ad 143.↩